Feet and Mouths and Media

23 Aug Feet and Mouths and Media

UFI: Feet and Mouths and Media

Aug 23, 2012

From the Desk of Carol Soelberg:

Abortion is in the media spotlight this week as a controversy brews in the U.S. over a political candidate’s misstep and misstatement. United Families International does not wish to get involved in the politics swirling around this candidate, but we do think it is a good time to point out some fallacies of pro-abortion dogma.

Melissa Anderson has penned a playful piece that explains not only why we need to guard our words carefully, but how we shouldn’t fall for the line that the crime of rape somehow justifies unrestricted abortion.

Sincerely,
Carol Soelberg
President, United Families International

Feet and Mouths and Media

Melissa Anderson

I almost dumped my husband once when we were dating. If you would have been there, you would have thought of dumping him too. I mean, yeah my hubby is a good looking man, and quite the gentleman, but he seems to have this awesome ability to stick his foot in his mouth.

So there we are in a Chinese restaurant in Monterey, California, right off the bay. We’d had an amazing day walking along the beach sharing future plans and past experiences. We both wanted a large family and a large library and an old dog lying across a white washed porch. I was really starting to think that this was the man for me. Until he looked up from his menu, looked deeply into my eyes and said, “You’re the third dog I’ve dated. My first two girl friends were dogs too.”

Excuse me? He must have instantly seen the horns starting to grow right under my hair line and the puffs of steam coming from my ears and the fire pouring out of the eyes that had been sweet on him not three seconds prior. Plus I was armed with chopsticks. He panicked, then immediately explained, “You were born in the Chinese year of the dog. Just like my first two girlfriends. The year of the dog.”

Open Mouth. Insert Foot. But Good Save.

Todd Akin had a foot in mouth moment this week when he stated that women who are “legitimately raped” don’t get pregnant because their bodies shut down and it just can’t physically happen. Not only does that show a great misunderstanding of how a woman’s body works, it gives fodder to a liberal media seeking to paint Pro-Lifers as ignorant bible thumpers who understand nothing of science and biology. But, like my husband, underneath the hugely inadequate use of words, there is a simple truth. When it comes down to abortion, rape is rarely the issue. Rape is used to muddy the water.

When our heartstrings get pulled so many times on an issue it’s hard to see clearly. So let’s go to another divisive issue: the death penalty. You should remember this analogy from a few articles ago. A majority of people agree that the death penalty should be an option in egregious cases. That does not mean that we execute the person who stole some orange juice to make sure that the death penalty is available should an especially egregious case arise. Nope. Instead we highly curtail the use of the death penalty to ensure it is used only in such egregious cases, if at all. Harping up rape as an excuse for elective abortion on demand is very much like harping up serial killers as an excuse for the execution of petty thieves. It doesn’t work.

So, to Todd Akin, get your foot out of your mouth. Great intent. Wrong words. All it takes for a woman to get pregnant is an egg meeting a sperm. That can happen whether a woman consents or not. There is no magical feminine system that shuts down to prevent pregnancy in the case of rape. Egg plus sperm equals baby. However, I’m pretty sure your point really was that rape is seldom an issue where abortion is concerned as less than 2% of abortions are claimed to be the result of a rape. Most abortions performed in the world are elective abortions on demand for no other reason but for the convenience of the mother.

For all others out there who might one day be called upon to give a valid argument for your personal beliefs, know the facts. If you do you won’t be caught with your foot in your mouth when someone asks the question; know what you believe and know why you believe it.

And having your foot in your mouth is never a comfortable position. Just ask my husband.

Melissa Anderson is a lawyer in San Antonio, Texas. She is the mother of seven crazily adorable children and an author of children’s books. In her spare time, Melissa volunteers extensively with Court Appointed Special Advocates educating the community on issues related to child abuse and neglect..